Raheem Sterling is flying out to LA today join his new Chelsea team-mates and start pre-season training

Chelsea are reportedly ‘down to the final details’ of a move for Manchester City star Raheem Sterling.

The Blues recently opened talks with the Premier League champions after it was made clear they are open to selling the England international.

Sterling has contributed 131 goals and 94 assists for City in 337 appearances, winning four Premier League titles in seven seasons at the Etihad.

Thomas Tuchel is an admirer of the forward, who has been persuaded to move to Stamford Bridge following talks with the Chelsea boss.

And Sterling is now expected to join Chelsea in their pre-season tour of the United States, according to The Independent, after completion of a deal understood to be £45m with a potential of £10m in add-ons.

Paul Merson reckons Sterling will be a “great signing” for Tuchel and Chelsea and believes he will be a “massive miss” for Manchester City.

Merson told Sky Sports: “I think he might take time, he plays at Man City to the absolute way that Pep Guardiola wants you to play. He knows when that ball is coming into the box, he’s coming to that far post, you look at [Jack] Grealish, he hasn’t got that at the moment.

“When the ball is whipped in and Grealish is still on the touchline — Sterling does it to an art. In my opinion, he will be massively missed. It might take time at Chelsea but he will be a great signing.

“I think Sterling is a good signing, I’d worry about Man City selling Sterling, you’re selling a lot of goals, people go to me ‘he’s always at the far post tapping them in’ he’s not pushing anybody out the way to tap them goals in.

“There’s an art to what he does and he’d be a massive miss for Man City and if Chelsea got him that’d be a major signing especially when you’re getting a quality international player at one of the top teams in football and get him to Chelsea that is a major signing.”

RAHEEM STERLING has completed his medical and signed for Chelsea, according to reports.

A deal could even be announced as soon as today.

It is believed that the Blues will pay £47.5 million rising to £50m in add-ons to secure the services of the England international.

Chelsea, however, are said to open to listening to offers for their midfield engine N’Golo Kante.

Meanwhile, reports in Germany suggest that Robert Lewandowski would be willing to make the switch to Stamford Bridge should a deal collapse between Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

And Chelsea are reportedly keen on Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, who has an asking price of £34million

• IN: None
• OUT: Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Andreas Christensen (Barcelona), Danny Drinkwater (released), Charly Musonda (released), Jake Clarke-Salter (released), Lucas Bergstrom (Peterborough, loan), Sam McClelland (Barrow, loan